The University of Economics and Finance, HCMC (UEF) recently held a graduation ceremony for 2,815 graduates from the 2022 and 2023 cohorts across 34 majors, along with 211 new master's graduates in six majors and two new PhDs in business administration.

New graduate Pham Phuong Doanh, valedictorian of the Law program, earned a 3.96 GPA and an IELTS score of 8.0. In addition to her outstanding academic performance, Doanh has achieved notable results in scientific research and actively participated in international exchange activities, thanks to her strong English skills.

During her studies, her language skills gave Doanh the confidence to use English in various international activities. Notably, she supported US students participating in the summer study program for students from the University of Pittsburgh at UEF, while also building connections with students from many other countries.

Doanh said the biggest lesson she learned during her university years was the importance of developing practical skills - something that books cannot fully teach. 

At university, she learned how to work with others by participating in extracurricular activities, competitions and projects. These experiences helped her develop communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to work with people who have different personalities and working styles.

Sharing her experience in balancing study and life to achieve high academic results, Doanh said there is no such thing called ‘perfect balance’. At certain stages, students have to prioritize one thing and accept that another may receive less attention.

"What matters is not trying to divide your time equally among everything, but identifying what needs to take priority at each stage and managing your time accordingly," Doanh said.

The valedictorian added that she was fortunate to have her family's companionship and support throughout her studies. For Doanh, participating in academic competitions at university was one of the important factors that helped her mature. 

Each competition provided different legal knowledge while also giving her opportunities to learn from students at other universities, improving her thinking, interpersonal skills and problem-solving abilities.

The biggest goal of the new Law valedictorian is to pursue a master's degree specializing in criminal law, a field she has pursued since the beginning of university. For now, Doanh also wants to spend time gaining practical work experience. She believes this will provide a more comprehensive perspective and serve as an important foundation for her future academic research.

Meanwhile, Pham Thi Hong Hoa, valedictorian of the Logistics and Supply Chain Management program, earned a 3.96 GPA and a TOEIC score of 865. She is among the graduates with some of the highest valedictorian scores recorded by the university.

In this graduation cycle, many new graduates of the University of Economics and Finance, HCMC achieved strong academic and extracurricular results, reflected in their cumulative scores. Graduates with excellent and very good classifications accounted for 15.4 percent of the total. 

Many students completed their programs ahead of schedule while achieving outstanding results in academics and foreign languages, including Vo Ngoc Minh Thao, valedictorian of the International Business program, with a 3.89 GPA and TOEIC 865; Ho Ngoc Minh Uyen, valedictorian of the Human Resource Management program, with a 3.87 GPA and TOEIC 920; and Ngo Thi Uyen Trang, valedictorian of the Chinese Language program, with a 3.89 GPA.

Among them, new graduate Nguyen Van Dang, from the International Business program, was honored for a series of outstanding achievements in the arts and sports at both domestic and international competitions.

Nguyen Van Dang won two gold medals at the 2023 National Youth Taekwondo Championships in Hanoi; one gold medal at the 2024 National Taekwondo Championships in Gia Lai; one gold medal at the 2025 National Taekwondo Club Cup Championships in Thai Nguyen; one gold and one silver medal at the 2023 HCMC Student Taekwondo Championships; one silver medal at the 2024 National Student Taekwondo Championships in Thai Nguyen; and one silver medal at the 2024 Southeast Asian University Sports Games Taekwondo competition in Indonesia.

In the arts, Dang won the championship at the 2025 Dalat Best Dance Crew - Hoa Sen Home International Cup and third prize at the 2025 UEF Got Talent competition.

Le Huyen